biologydyke:

biologydyke:

honestly y’all need to start being more critical w the animal content you reblog

reptiles interacting with cats? wild animals purposely in someone’s house? different big cat species interacting? a fish in a barren, little tank? literally anything involving brian barczyk?

most likely, those animals are in unsafe situations that are bad for their welfare and quality of life. those pictures and videos aren’t actually cute, don’t treat them like they are

This got way more notes that expected, so before this takes off fully I want to go through and explain why for those of you who don’t know! No worries if you aren’t aware, everyone is always learning, including myself.

Any other questions are best directed to my pet blog, @elemental-kiss

Reptiles interacting with cats
First, cats will almost always see a reptile as a fun toy or a cool prey item. That means interacting, with their mouth or paws, as cats do. Even if you are watching closely, your cat could very easily kill your reptile. Next is the fact that cats carry a certain kind of gram negative bacteria under their claws that is harmful to reptiles- so even a small scratch can prove fatal. This post explains it well! 

Wild animals purposely in someone’s house
They’re wild animals and should be in the wild. If a deer wandered in and you took a picture but otherwise left it alone, fine, it happens, we’ve all gotten some wild critter in our house at one point or the other. If animals enter your home, do your best to provide ways for them to leave without interacting with them or habituating them to humans more- you don’t want them seeking out people, that’s how animals get shot. If someone put a wild animal (that isn’t like a leopard gecko or an american toad and therefore a pet that can safely be kept with humans) in their home, be wary. If the animal is a rehab case at a wildlife rehab, they’re not really going to have people take it home, even if it needs a lot of care. They don’t want to habituate it to humans, that makes it harder to release. Big cats and all those fancy zoo animals that aren’t native here and are dangerous? Have no business being in someone’s home. No responsible zoo would let their animals be taken home, and big cats and those critters don’t make good pets. Keep in mind appearance can be misleading, so check the source. The Minnesota Zoo used to bottle-feed their baby tiger, and they bottle-fed her in one of the zoo kitchens, which in photos looked very much like a domestic setting. So check for an explanation of why the animal is there!

Different big cat species interacting
Obviously I’m not a big cat expert, so I’ll link some things here. Unfortunately the blog that had the posts I wanted to link most is now password protected, but it really should go without saying that you shouldn’t put two predator species that don’t live together in the wild together. I can’t name a single reputable zoo or sanctuary that would do that. It’s very much a gimmick done by “roadside” zoos. People love what they think are interspecies friendships. Also, hybrids between lions and tigers (for example) are possible, and not a good thing. Pxnthera has a good post here with lots of links on that. I couldn’t find the posts I was looking for specifically on big cat interspecies interaction, but here’s pxnthera’s interspecies interaction tag. 

A fish in a barren, little tank
There is not a single species of fish that should be kept in anything less than 5 (and honestly, really, in less than 10) gallons. Full stop. No exceptions. Most fish kept in home aquaria come from areas of dense planting- bettas, rasboras, pretty much most fish from Asia. South American species like cichlids and tetras generally need less, but every fish needs some form of cover! They need to be able to hide if they so choose. Every schooling fish? Needs at least 20 gallons or for some species, much more. Fish are complex beings with needs, they are intelligent and capable of learning, but most importantly they are living breathing feeling animals that regardless of cognitive capabilities and our ability to understand their behavior, deserve proper care and a good quality of life. Yes, even your betta. I talk fish a lot on @elemental-kiss so you can head over there for more info.

Literally anything involving brian barczyk
Brian, also known as BHB Reptiles, or Snakebytes TV, is a glorified puppy mill for snakes and lizards. Check out my BHB critical tag, the Reptile Keepers against Brian Barczyk facebook group, and their companion instagram for more details- I couldn’t possibly name all of his horrendous care issues in one post. His husbandry makes me sick, its disgusting and even someone with no knowledge of reptiles can tell. 

Any more questions about these topics specifically, or if a video or image involving fish, reptiles, or amphibians (my main area of knowledge) is actually cute, can be directed to @elemental-kiss which is my pet blog.

Thanks for reading ❤